- A senior official with the U.S. Agency for International Development, in an email on Sunday, warned that the Trump administration’s dismantling of the agency will result in unnecessary deaths. He was placed on leave shortly after sending the memo.
- The Department of Government Efficiency has blocked USAID payments, despite a waiver for lifesaving aid.
- Sources told Reuters that plans to place the official on leave existed even before he sent out the crucial memo.
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A senior official with the U.S. Agency for International Development was placed on leave by the Trump administration after sending out a stark warning about potential repercussions that could come from Trump’s freeze on foreign aid and mass firings. Nick Enrich, the acting assistant administrator for USAID’s global health, sent a memo, obtained by Reuters, to staff on Sunday, March 2.
In the memo, he stated that the agency has not been able to implement “lifesaving humanitarian assistance” despite waivers approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month that allowed for “critical programs” to continue.
What did Enrich’s memo say?
“USAID’s failure to implement lifesaving humanitarian assistance under the waiver is the result of political leadership,” Enrich wrote in the memo. “This will no doubt result in preventable death, destabilization, and threats to national security on a massive scale.”
What was included in Rubio’s waiver?
Rubio established a “blanket waiver” for USAID programs that the Trump administration deemed as “essential,” such as food and medicine distribution.
However, as the administration continues to dismantle the agency, the lifesaving aid in many cases has not been carried out, according to USAID employees.
“If it’s providing food or medicine or anything that is saving lives and is immediate and urgent, you’re not included in the freeze,” Rubio said. “I don’t know how much more clear we can be than that.”
According to court documents, the Trump administration said Rubio and one of his top aides had performed a review of USAID’s foreign aid programs and decided to cut about 90% of them.
Enrich wrote that on Feb. 11, an adviser for the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) sent an email “warning him” to stop reviewing foreign aid awards slated for termination, even if they provided lifesaving care, saying it was “delaying the timely processing of these terminations notices” which was “unacceptable.”
Enrich was reportedly placed on leave less than 30 minutes after he sent the memo to staff, but sources told Reuters the decision to oust the official was made several days before the email.
The Bureau for Global Health identified 72 “lifesaving” programs that remained unfunded as of Sunday.
What has the Trump administration said about the cuts?
Trump and Musk have made cuts to USAID a top priority, arguing that it’s largely been a waste of taxpayer dollars.
